McMurry Named Regional Director For Biotechnology Center
Cheryl S. McMurry, BioNetwork BioBusiness Center manager, has been named the regional director for the North Carolina Biotechnology Center replacing Charlie Moreland, who retired. McMurry started her new position Aug. 1.
"Western North Carolina is just beginning to understand its potential for building a unique and innovative natural biotech industry," said Jack Cecil, president of Biltmore Farms of Asheville and chairman of the Advisory Committee for Biotechnology in Western North Carolina. "Cheryl McMurry brings vision, deep experience and commitment to the region. We are fortunate that she has taken up the challenge of leading this highly creative venture."
McMurry will work with companies, schools and institutions throughout Western North Carolina to both identify and strengthen their capabilities for biotechnology development. Her new office is located at A-B Tech's Enka Site.
Director of NCCCS BioNetwork, Susan Seymour, said she was pleased to have someone so intimately associated with BioNetwork at the Biotechnology Center. "Cheryl is an asset to North Carolina and she will continue to be a valuable partner, particularly with her knowledge of BioNetwork's programs and the impact this community college initiative is having on economic development in North Carolina."
The North Carolina Biotechnology Center is a private, non-profit corporation created by the State in 1984 and supported by the General Assembly. The Biotechnology Center's mission is to provide long-term economic and societal benefits to North Carolina through support of biotechnology research, business and education statewide.
"I am both pleased and proud to join the Biotechnology Center team. The Biotechnology Center has an international reputation for excellence, effectiveness and ethics, and I look forward to continuing its work in Western North Carolina," McMurry said. "It has been a personal and professional pleasure to be a part of the BioNetwork and I look forward to the continued association. I am particularly enthusiastic about the BioBusiness Center, which will become a critical resource to all regions desiring to establish and expand efforts to support life science business development. I hope to work closely with the BioBusiness Center as a partner in its objectives."
A-B Tech Receives Grants to Equip Biotech Laboratories
A-B Tech recently received two grants totaling $140,000 to fund biotechnology labs in the Technology Commercialization Center at the college's Enka Site.
The Education and Research Consortium of the Western Carolinas, Inc. awarded a grant of $100,000 to help equip a core lab in the technology incubator. The core lab will allow incubating companies to share expensive equipment, while also offering access to students.
The grant will be used for a water purificati-on system as well as for analytical equipment including a microplate reader and an analyti-cal balance.
"This grant is exactly what the A-B Tech incubator needs to ensure its attractiveness to life science entrepreneurs and scientists," said Cheryl McMurry, former manager of the BioBusiness Center. "We are very fortunate to have the financial ability to begin equipping a first-class core laboratory and to have such wonderful support for the development of this invaluable facility in Western North Carolina."
The Education and Research Consortium (ERC) of the Western Carolinas was formed four years ago to allow the region to participate in the new technology revolution. Its mission is to further economic development in the Western Carolinas through education, infrastructure and capital development.
The North Carolina Biotechnology Center awarded a $40,000 grant for equipment to be used in the curriculum lab by students working toward a two-year degree in biotechnology.
"We're very grateful for the support from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. The equipment is very expensive and we would not be able to purchase it without their support," said Dr. Sharon Morrissey, vice president of Instructional Services. "With this grant, we can purchase high-tech equipment so students can have the best biotechnology training available in Western North Carolina."
The North Carolina Biotechnology Center is a private, non-profit corporation created in 1984 and supported by the General Assembly. The Biotechnology Center's mission is to provide long-term economic and societal benefits to North Carolina through support of biotechnology research, business and education statewide.
Foundation Profiles
John Thomas Allen, recipient of the Technology Scholarship, graduated in May with his associate's degree in Information Systems. He also plans to earn a degree in Digital Media Technology from A-B Tech and then transfer to UNCA for a bachelor's degree in Computer Science. "I have had an interest in computers and computer technology since the early nineties. I have a great interest in learning all that I can about them and would love to be able to go as far as I can in the field," he wrote.
Jacqueline C. Bacoate
Jacqueline C. Bacoate received the Haith-Miller Scholarship which assisted her in receiving her degree in Medical Sonography this past May. She has been included on the Dean's List and President's List and was inducted into Phi Theta Kappa. "Sonography is a diagnostic modality that encompasses numerous specialties, but that is only a part of its appeal to me. The challenges and rewards this career offer, along with the inspiration of my instructors, keeps me motivated to accomplish my goals here at A-B Tech," she wrote.
Clint Shepherd
Clint Shepherd is a Construction Management Technology student who was awarded the Christiana Glenn Tugman Scholarship in memory of Ralph Tugman and honoring Jose Luis Marino-Saldana. "Since childhood, I have loved heavy equipment construction. I have held a temporary summer job working in the field and thoroughly enjoyed it. In the future, I would like to have my own company and equipment to bring people a quality service," he wrote.